Town file
Selmer, Tennessee
Selmer, Tennessee (McNairy County, Tennessee) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 651, "My Ugly Came Out" (27 November 2025). Selmer, Tennessee, is a small town of about 4,400 people in McNairy County, in the south-west of the state, roughly an hour and three-quarters from Memphis and two and a half hours from Nashville.
- Town
- Selmer
- County
- McNairy County
- State
- Tennessee
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 651
- Approximate location
- 35.171, -88.595
Episode 651 / 27 November 2025 / 184 min / full
My Ugly Came Out
"We're going to Tennessee this week. Selmer, Tennessee... down in southwestern Tennessee... This is in McNarry County." about 0:04:22
The case: Murder of Matthew Winkler (March 22nd, 2006). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 4,421
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income
- $32,704
- Median home value
- $131,200
- Two-bedroom rent
- $760 a month
- Cost of living
- 73
- Religious
- 54.3%
- Property crime
- ▲ almost 50% above average
- Violent crime
- ▲ almost double the national average
History, in brief
- The town is said to have been named after Selma, Alabama. about 0:05:15
- Selmer was incorporated in 1901. about 0:05:36
- On June 16th, 2007, a pro-modified drag racing car driven by Troy Warren Critchley lost control during a burnout at a charity car show, the America Can Cars for Kids parade, on Mulberry Avenue in downtown Selmer, left the road and struck the crowd; six children were killed, two at the scene and four later in hospital. about 0:05:43
- Lawsuits were filed against the city and the event organisers asking for more than $85 million in damages. about 0:07:46
- On March 4th, 2008, the McNairy County grand jury indicted Critchley on six counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and twenty-two counts of reckless aggravated assault. about 0:07:56
- Critchley pleaded guilty to twenty-eight charges of reckless assault and was sentenced to eighteen months' probation. about 0:08:16
- On April 3rd, 2025, an F3 tornado struck the city early in the morning, killing five people and injuring fourteen, and the city lost an estimated $10 million in property damage. about 0:08:26
- Sheriff Buford Pusser came from McNairy County, and the 1970s film Walking Tall was made about him. about 0:08:58
- In August 1964 Pusser and his wife Pauline were ambushed and she was shot dead; he died seven years later. about 0:09:24
- Selmer has over a hundred churches for about 4,400 people. about 0:53:35
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A small, quiet town full of history and kind residents, famous for rockabilly, slug burgers and Buford Pusser history, with plenty to see; the only wish is more places for families to do activities."about 0:09:51
3 stars
"Would like high-speed internet; the farmers market is delightful, the school system is okay and Bethel Spring school is amazing, but there should be more chances for technology advancement."about 0:10:33
2 stars
"Moved here to get out of po dunk and it worked until the hospital closed; now the town is worse than the smaller town they came from, with no homestead tax relief for the elderly, few jobs, a retirement-town feel and a huge drugs problem."about 0:11:03
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Walnut, Mississippi24 miles
- Falkner, Mississippi30 miles
- Booneville, Mississippi35 miles
- Parsons, Tennessee43 miles
- Lawrenceburg, Tennessee71 miles
- Horn Lake, Mississippi84 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.